Escaped Alabama inmate and corrections officer accused of helping him captured in Indiana | CBC News

“Casey White and Vicky White are in custody,” Singleton said. “This has ended a very long, stressful and challenging week and a half. It ended the way we knew it would. They are in custody.”

CLOCK | The moment of escape:

Security video shows prisoner escaping

Footage provided by the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama shows Deputy Warden Vicky White ushering inmate Casey White, a murder suspect and no relation to Vicky, through the prison gate. The couple was recaptured Monday in Indiana, after being on the run since April 29. 0:42

In Indiana, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said authorities learned his vehicle was near the sheriff’s office. When officers arrived, Casey and Vicky White fled in the vehicle and led police on a chase, he said. US marshals clashed with them “to try to end the pursuit,” he said. Casey White was injured, not seriously, in the ensuing crash and Vicky White shot herself, inflicting “very serious” injuries, he said.

“We’re lucky no law enforcement officers were hurt, no innocent civilians were hurt. The manhunt was brief and we have both people in custody,” Wedding said.

national level hunt

The two, who are not related, had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt since April 29 when Vicky White, deputy director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Jail, allegedly helped engineer the escape of Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case. Vicky White had told her co-workers that she would be taking the inmate out of jail for a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but the two fled the area.

Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape.

“Today we took a dangerous man off the street. He will never see the light of day again. That’s a good thing, not just for our community. That’s a good thing for our country,” Singleton said.

The truck was found Monday in Evansville, Indiana, after US Marshals received a tip Sunday that the 2006 Ford F-150 pickup was seen at a car wash in the city, the Marshals Service said. Surveillance photos showed a man who closely resembles Casey White getting out of the vehicle at the car wash, authorities said.

Couple had a special relationship, according to inmates

Investigators believe the truck was stolen in Tennessee and then driven 175 miles to Evansville, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was unable to publicly discuss the details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Family members and co-workers of Vicky White said they were stunned by her involvement. Singleton had said that in hindsight it seemed the plan had been in the works for some time. Inmates said the two had a special relationship and that she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates. She had recently sold her house and bought what would become the getaway car that authorities later found abandoned in Tennessee.

“Obviously this escape was well planned and calculated. There was a lot of preparation in this. They had a lot of resources, cash, vehicles,” Singleton said.

The Marshals Service said a warrant was issued against Vicky Sue White on May 2 charging her with allowing or facilitating first-degree elopement.

Federal and local law enforcement officials have also learned that Casey White threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and her sister in 2015 and said he “wanted the police to kill him,” the Marshals Service said. Investigators said they have been in contact with them about the threats and are taking steps to ensure their safety.